Alice Wong Does Not Represent the Asian Point of View Regarding Shark Fin BanShark Conservation Gains Support in Asia, MP Alice Wong Should Get With The ProgramTaipei ---- In recent years, anti-shark fin campaigns throughout Asia have emerged and have gained popular support from the public. As more and more people realize the cruelty behind the shark fin trade, many companies in Asia have taken the initiative to stop selling shark fin products. To name a few, these businesses include Disney Land Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, market chain-Cold Storage Singapore, The Shangrila Hotel Group, Chinese online manufacturing directory- Alibaba Group, five star hotel – JinLing Nanjing, and Cathay Pacific Airlines, whom have just banned all shark fin products from their cargo flights. In addition, the Chinese and Malaysian governments have also banned all shark fin dishes from official banquets and receptions. In Taiwan, the Council of Agriculture’s Fisheries Agency also made a very progressive move in Asia recently by introducing a regulation that will ban the act of cutting off a shark’s fin and throwing its body back into the ocean. This will force fishermen to keep shark catches intact until they arrive in port, a rule the agency hopes will prevent fishing vessels from making space to store more fins and end the cruel practice. Hotels in Taiwan like W Taipei, The Westin Taipei, Silks Palace at National Palace Museum have also pledged to take shark fin off their menus. With such forward-moving efforts in Asia regarding shark conservation, it is shocking to hear that Canadian MP Alice Wong is encouraging shark fin consumption in Canada. She recently held a press conference against the new legislative ban of shark fin products. “At the press conference, Ms. Wong said that shark fin is tasty. But actually shark fin itself has no taste. What makes the soup ‘tasty’ is the soup base made of stock and seasoning. If Alice Wong truly understand the reasons behind the current shark fin protection movement and latest sentiments in Asia, she would not come out and say that the Canadian legislature banning shark fin is an attack on Chinese culture,” says Connie Chiang, Executive Director of the Taiwan Society for the Protection of Animals (TSPCA). “If Asians ourselves are introducing new legislature in Asia to protect sharks and businesses are removing shark fin from their menus, then as MP Alice Wong suggests, we are also attacking our own culture, which doesn’t make sense. So it is evident that in truth, the global movement to reduce shark fin consumption is not a matter of racism or prejudice against culture, but a matter of stopping the cruel shark finning method and protecting endangered shark species from going extinct. Even though Asians are still the largest consumer of shark fin, there has been great progress made in Asia regarding the protection of sharks and reducing shark fin consumption. As public awareness grows, we believe even more people will choose to stop eating shark fin. Furthermore, many countries around the world such as Indonesia, India, Spain, Argentina, and Australia are also involved in the shark fin trade; therefore it is not an Asian targeted movement by banning shark fin,” Connie Chiang continues. Some Asians eat shark fin soup as a wealth indicator and as a prestigious activity. However, many have come to realize that this is a senseless and cruel tradition and do support action to stop animal cruelty and to protect endangered sharks. We believe that a member of parliament should be supportive of marine life conservation given the facts that shark fin consumption is leading to the extinction of certain shark species. The true motive behind MP Alice Wong’s recent press conference is questionable, especially as no English speaking media were invited. She definitely does not represent the voices of all Asian people in Canada and definitely not around the world. Piggy backing on sensitive cultural issues to gain support for her own point of view is detrimental to a progressive society. As NGOs, businesses, governments, and people around the world are joining in on the urgent shark conservation movement, MP Alice Wong should get with the program instead of raising racist sentiments in Canada.